Come With Me
by LH2005
Summary: A NEW alternative version to Disney’s classic “Pocahontas”. Hopefully, it will provide more of a back story for Pocahontas and John, as well as for a couple of extra characters. Rated "M" for later chapters.
1. Prelude

**Though the "Pocahontas" category is once again getting slow, I decided to go ahead and post a story that I have been randomly writing for almost a year now. It is an alternative version to Disney's classic "Pocahontas", and hopefully will provide more of a back story for Pocahontas and John, as well as for a couple of extra characters. I have most of the story written except the last few chapters, but all of them still need serious editing before they are posted. The plan is to post about two chapters a week, so hopefully I will be motivated to edit all of them.**

**Of course, I do not own anything about Pocahontas (in real life or Disney), except the VHS and soundtrack.**

* * *

**Prelude:**

**1590**

A cloaked woman briskly walked down a silent cobblestone street in London. The night was clear and calm, with only the light of the full moon to guide her. Face-set into a blank stare, the woman continued until she abruptly stopped in front of one of the brick houses. She glanced at the overhead sign, and sighed as she pulled out a small bundle from beneath her cloak. The woman sadly looked down at the sleeping face that was nestled in between the blankets, and then reluctantly placed it beneath the house's door, turned around, and quickly walked away. Only when she was about to finally disappear behind a corner, did she turn around to see the door open and an older woman step out and notice the baby below.

* * *

"Thank you for taking in my son. He was born out of wedlock, though I was sure at the time when he was conceived, that his father and I would get married. I was wrong, however, for the following morning I awoke to find my "beloved" future husband gone.

My father does not know about the baby, and I know that he would be furious if he found out. I birthed him this morning, alone in the woods behind my house. As soon as I was able to stand, night fall had begun to set in, so I am bringing him to you under the cover of darkness.

I wish for the baby's name to be John Smith, for that would have been his name if his father had remained with me.

Thank you and please take good care of my son."

* * *

**So what do you think so far? I know it is a short start, but reviews and critiques would be great!**


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: **

**1600: 10 Years Later**

"Robert; Ben; John! Get out of bed right now," an old, grey-haired woman called up the stairs. "You all know what day it is! You should at least be down here by now!"

John rolled over onto his back and sleepily opened his eyes. He could just barely see the sun coming up over Mr. Benard's house across the street outside.

"Coming, Miss Stuart", John called as he sat up, despite his body's unwillingness to obey. Merchants and other businessmen were coming today to seek out new apprentices from the orphanage. Though he knew that was lucky for the opportunity, he had no desire to leave his "siblings" who would remain behind.

John had often tried to remember what it felt like to live in a real home. When he was younger, he even asked Miss Stuart and Miss Adams what his parents had been like, but his questions fell upon death ears. He was now ten years old and had long sense given up on discovering his past.

Miss Stuart and Miss Adams were kind enough. They did after all run a crowded orphanage with more than twenty-five children, so they did their best. The children were expected to do their morning chores and then have mid-day lessons, which usually consisted studying all forms of literature, science, history, and arithmetic.

"Come on lads, let's get this over with," John mumbled, as he stood up and began rummaging through his wooden trunk at the end of the bed.

Groans came from the opposite sides of the room, as two other sleepy boys sat up.

After they had gotten dressed and quickly finished their chores of mucking out the orphanage's small stable, feeding the chickens, collecting the eggs, and tiding up their room, they headed to the kitchen for a breakfast of toast and porridge. When they had finished eating, Miss Stuart came in to the room with an anxious look on her face.

"Mr. Whitfax has just arrived and is in the parlor waiting to meet with you all," she said as she ushered the boys out of their seats.

"All of us Ma'am?" Robert inquired.

"Yes Robert, now hurry up. I am sure he will not be so generous to have all of you, if he is forced to wait much longer," Miss Stuart said as she briskly walked back to their guest.

"You do not think that this man is _the_ Mr. Whitfax do you lads?" Ben whispered to the others worriedly, as they slowly followed Miss Stuart. "I have heard an awful lot of stories about his ship and crew, and most of which were quite unpleasant."

"I do not know," John quietly said behind them. "If he is the same man that you speak of, all we can do is hope that he will not be satisfied with any of us."

After what seemed like an eternity, the boys and Miss Stuart entered the parlor. A tall and gruff, brown-haired man sat in an armchair by the front window. He had the most peculiar smirk on his face, and the boys quickly glanced at each other to confirm Ben's theory.

"Mr. Whitfax, these are the boys I was telling you about. This is Robert, Ben, and John." she said as she introduced them. They bowed to the man and took their seats on the white couch across from him. "Boys, this is Mr. Whitfax," Miss Stuart continued as she took her own seat.

The room grew quiet, as Mr. Whitfax carefully inspected the boys, who awkwardly looked at Miss Stuart for help. She only gave a small reassuring smile back to them, as the man continued his evaluation.

"What are their ages again, Miss Stuart?" Mr. Whitfax asked, sitting up slightly in his chair.

"They are all ten, with Ben turning eleven next month," she replied.

"Good; very good. I am assuming that none of them have actually ever been on a ship before, ma'am?"

"I am sorry, but no sir. None of them have any form of experience when it comes to the sea or its many vessels. However, they have been instructed using the local school's standard curriculum, and are very brilliant young men. They also are required to do chores here at the orphanage three times a day as well, so I can assure you that they work very hard."

"Well with that in mind, I would not have a problem with apprenticing them aboard my ship, the _Carlotta_. Miss Stuart, do you have any objections?"

"No, not at all! That is great news," she said happily and turned to the boys.

"You may go upstairs to pack your belongings and say goodbye to the children. Please try to move as quickly, so you do not keep Mr. Whitfax waiting."

When they had sadly said their goodbyes to Miss Adams and the other children, they rejoined Miss Stuart and Mr. Whitfax in the parlor.

"Boys," Miss Stuart said as she stood up when they approached, "Mr. Whitfax and I have agreed for you to apprentice under him for seven years, so that you will learn about the art of exploring and sailing."

"Well if you boys are ready to leave, we will be off," Mr. Whitfax said turned toward Miss Stuart, nodded respectively to her, and walked out of the parlor to the front door.

"Please be good and try to write", Miss Stuart said as walked over to the boys, and hugged them all at once.

"We will ma'am," they answered, as they picked up their trunks and walked down the hall toward the man who would be their master for the next, two long years.

**Well, there you have it; the first real chapter. I'm such a perfectionist that I probably tried to edit it three times before I was finally happy with it. I'm sure that it still has stupid errors in it, so always feel free to point out anything you see (good or bad!) Feel free to ask any questions you have so far about the story, and I will be sure to answer/ clarify in the next chapter.**

**The new plan is to put out a new chapter every Friday night or very early Saturday morning. I have to have some kind of a calendar, or you guys will never get any updates! haha**

**Well of course, let me know what you think through critiques, reviews, story/ author alerts, etc. They most definitely speed up the editing process! :)**


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Aboard the Ship**

"This is where you will be staying while you are with me," Captain Whitfax said, as he walked into one of the _Carlotta_'s small cabins. It smelled of tar and mold. Three straw filled pallets lay on the floor, with moth eaten blankets folded on top of each one.

"Put your things down, and follow me."

They obeyed, placed their trunks in the corner of the room, and rejoined the Captain. He led them up the tiny stairwell to the deck of the ship, as rotten floorboards moaned under the men's weight. Once on deck, they were able to really look at the pitiful excuse for a ship. The floorboards were missing on the deck, the sails were covered in massive rips and holes, and the once gleaming paint on the outside of the ship was now cracked and peeling. The Captain finally stopped as they reached the bow.

"Your jobs will vary while you stay with here. Your first assignment is to replace every old board on this ship. Once you finish, begin scrubbing the deck clean. Boards are in the hull, as well as the items to clean the deck. I will be in my quarters, so do not bother me."

The boys stared incredulously at the Captain, before he shouted impatiently, "well get to work now. Don't stare at me like a bunch of idiots!" At that, they headed back down into the ships hull to look for new boards.

* * *

For the next year the young men apprenticed or practically slaved under Captain Whitfax. They were forced to replace every board that even appeared rotten, completely re-tar the entire hull of the ship, make the meals for the rest of the crew, hoist and mend the ragged sails, and even clean Captain Whitfax's cabin! That task in particular, was completely frustrating for John, Robert, and Ben. His cabin seemed almost suite-like, compared to the tiny room that the three of them shared. Their own cabin, not only reeked of tar and mold, but the ceiling leaked in several places when it stormed and cold drafts blew in through the cracks in the boards. The worst part, however, was that their cabin was right next to the captain's, where he constantly yelled for the boys to get him something or criticize work they had done. They often wished to give up and runaway, but Captain Whitfax only docked the ship for supplies every 4 months and had someone meticulously watch them whenever they left the ship.

When they were let off though, John, Robert, and Ben usually went to the market with a couple of other sailors and Captain Whitfax's daughter to trade for supplies. On these trips, they would often hear stories of some place called the "New World". The stories spoke of gold, endless amounts of land, abundance of hunting, as well as the red-skinned savages who lived there. John, in particular, was especially fascinated with these tales, since he had always wished of exploring new lands when he was younger at the orphanage.

Robert, on the other hand, busied himself in watching out for Captain Whitfax's daughter, Emily, who was around his age. Since she did not have any siblings in England when her mother died, she joined her father on the ship. She had come in the boys third year aboard the _Carlotta_, and she was about the same age as them. Despite that she was rarely allowed to speak to them, Robert had instantly taken a liking to her. Consequently, he always was weary of other men gazing at her, whenever they stopped at the shore. Ben and John teased him of his affections, but Robert's opinion remained the same. Finally, in the sixth year, Robert finally had the courage to confess to Emily of his love for her, and they secretly began seeing each other.

Though Robert's luck had changed a little for the better, they all despairingly thought that they were stuck aboard _Carlotta_ forever. The day they had left the orphanage seemed absolute ages ago. The day finally did come, when their seven years aboard were over. It was early one morning in London, when Captain Whitfax begrudgingly let his former "apprentices" or slaves leave. Eager to leave the confines of the ship, John, Ben, and Robert said their goodbyes to the other members of the crew. Emily seemed tense, but Robert calmly nodded to her and left the ship with the other two.

Once they were away from the pier, John thought aloud, "Well, now what? We need to find somewhere to stay until we can all find jobs. I don't have much money, so the sooner we find something the better."

"I agree. As much as I would not like to be on a ship again, what else is there for us to do now?" said Ben.

"Well, I'll help you two find the inn, but I must leave near supper to wait for Emily," Robert said.

"What?" "Are you crazy?" remarked John and Ben.

"I know. It's going to be hard, but she wants to come. She cannot stand her father anymore than we can. We were planning to elope anyway," Robert said as he awkwardly looked away.

"Well, that's up to you, Robert," John said. "Just let us know when the date is," he said teasingly.

"I'll do that," Robert said, now reassured of his friends' acceptance of his decision, and grinned back at him.

* * *

Several days later, Robert had safely returned with Emily, and they were now engaged. However, just as John had predicted, their small amount money was rapidly dwindling. One day, while strolling through London looking for jobs, they spotted a flier in front of one of the ship supply merchant's building. It read:

_"WANTED: Crew of able-bodied men age 16 and older with naval experience, to search for gold and found a colony of the Royal Crown in the New World. Must be extremely hard working and not afraid of danger. Anyone interested should contact Lord Governor Lafard at Doncaster Street, as soon as possible."_

"Why don't we try this? We have nothing in London to stay for, and Captain Whitfax probably will have the have the whole city looking for Emily soon. I think it would be a great escape to get out of here," said John, also remembering the tales of the New World he had heard so long ago.

"I have no objections," said Ben, but Robert suddenly interrupted him.

"You can't be serious John! We just got off of a miserable ship, and you want to return to another, and then go to some savage ridden land in the middle of no where. What are Emily and I to do?" Robert said as he looked protectively at his fiancé. "We are engaged John. You know that! There is no way that they will allow her to come with us, and there is also no way in hell she is staying here alone!" He finished, as Emily calmly put her hand on his arm.

"Robert, we will figure something out. It's not like I don't have enough experience to sail. I was only on father's ship 3 years less than you. What if I disguised myself, so that there would be no way to tell if I were really supposed to be apart of the crew?"

"That sounds like an idea, Robert," Ben added.

"Are all of you insane? What if you are found out? I doubt that they will be quite so forgiving. Do you guys know what happens when women are sometimes found in the army or other excursions like this? They are _killed!_ There is no way, I would ever put you in that situation that may lead to that!" Robert cried.

"Robert, I am going, and the obvious majority of us here are as well. You are stuck with me," Emily glared daringly at him.

Recognizing the seriousness in her voice, Robert sighed in defeat. "Fine, but if you get caught, just know that I will not be far behind you in death."

"Well, now that you two have finished bickering for the moment, I'm off to see this "Lord Governor LaFard," John grinned triumphantly."

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**I know, I am absolutely horrible about this updating stuff. Between enjoying my last week of school, reading Breaking Dawn, working on AP Literature and AP Econ summer homework, starting school, having absolute massive amounts of homework (I'm avoiding AP Government homework to update this as I type), I just honestly didn't have time to update. I am trying though, and will try to update again as soon as I can.**

**As usual, let me know what you think through critiques, reviews, story/ author alerts, etc. They most definitely speed up the homework and editing process! :)**

**PS: I know that I focused a LOT on Robert and Emily's story in the chapter, but it was necessary back story for later. Pocahontas is coming in the next chapter, so stay tuned!**


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